A MATURE student from Worcester has clocked up more than 500 hours volunteering in one year.

Chantal Vinyard, from Blackpole, was awarded the '500 Hour Award — Exceptional Attainment in Volunteering' at Worcester Students’ Union’s annual Volunteering and Societies Awards.

She volunteered for 547 hours during the 2014/15 academic year.

Ms Vinyard, who has just completed the second year of a degree in Psychology, said: “I feel very honoured to have won the award, as there are so many University of Worcester students who volunteer and make a real difference to the community with over 30,000 volunteering hours logged this year.

“I volunteer in the local community at Maggs Day Centre, a centre for the homeless and socially isolated, and I am a listener at Samaritans — both in Worcester.

“I also have a number of voluntary roles at the University including Women's Officer, Student Academic Representative, Chairperson of the Psychology Society and Chairperson of the Mature Students' Society.”

The annual VoScAs reward students for their significant contribution to the community and the University

The 31-year-old added: “I'm a people person and enjoy meeting people from all walks of life, and I feel that if I can in some small way make a positive contribution to someone's life by giving some of my spare time, then it is time well spent.

“I have learnt so much from the staff and service users that I work with. It has also allowed me to develop new skills which have increased my employability and led to job offers.

“Due to my experience of quality assurance in Higher Education, through my various voluntary roles in the university, I was successful in my application to the Quality Assurance Agency as a student reviewer and have just completed the training. I will be undertaking reviews from January next year.”